The Prince of Providence: The True Story of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor, Some Wiseguys, and the Feds

by Mike Stanton

Book Overview

COP: "Buddy, I think this is a whorehouse." BUDDY CIANCI: "Now I know why they made you a detective." Welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, where corruption is entertainment and Mayor Buddy Cianci... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375507809
• ISBN13: 9780375507809
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 16 Pages
• Weight: 1.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating

A fascinating view of a Mayor who engaged in boosterism to sell his city, and himself. Very helpful to those interested in studying styles of government and a great read. Jim Fiorentini Mayor, Haverhill, MA

One of the best true profiles I've read

This is a really good book. I love true stories and colorful characters. This has some great ones. I fly alot and this is type of book that will get you through several trip and airport delays. The research is very detailed and the reporting objective - the authors lets Buddy do it do himself.

Great Read

Since I consider Providence to be my adopted home town, I couldn't wait to read Mike Stantons new book. During my seven years in RI, I watched as Providence moved from a dingy city to one of the stand out places on the East Coast and I believe it really had alot to do with Cianci. Unfortunately, the book details the seedy underbelly of what went on while the transformation of Providence took place. Stanton shows the the good, bad, and sometimes hilarious character that is Buddy Cianci. I even found some of the stories just laugh out loud funny and if you are not reading it you wouldn't believe it. Pick up this book today.

The Two Faces of Buddy Cianci,Mayor of Providence

Pulitzer prize winner for investigative reporting at The Providence Journal, Miker Stanton, has written a brilliant novel. The novel centers around, Buddy Cianci,former mob prosecutor, grandson of immigrants and six term Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, and the FBI agent, Dennis Aiken, who took the surprised mayor down. This is a story of crime, mob crime, city crime, and political crime. Buddy Cianci grew up a Catholic, son of a doctor in Providence. He is a man with much charm. He married, divorced and was arrested for torturing the man he said was having an affair with his wife. He resigned his mayoral position in 1984 because of this crime and was re-elected in 1991. The citizens of Providence have a love/hate relationship with their ex-mayor. He brought life back to the city that was dying from industrial mills gone dry, to an artistical city loved by the elite. But he also brought to light the mob crime popularized by the Sopranos soap opera. Many of his political cronies were charged were corruption, and in the end so was Buddy. Of the many charges against him, he was found guilty of only one, racketerring conspiracy. He was sentenced to 5 years and 4 days in Federal prison. The Prince of Providence has been in prison for two years. He was assigned to kitchen duty, and was unable to bring his toupee or cigarettes into prison with him. This is not the end of the Cianci story. Nicole Cianci, the child who was ignored at best, has borne two children and was in rehab for drug addiction. The ex-mayor still has hopes of returning to the city he loves in some offical capacity. This is a novel of a man who thought he owned his city and found that although he is well -loved for his good deeds -it was the bad deeds that came undone. The writing is superb and the story is one to remember. prisrob

The Story of the Most Colorful Politician

Everybody in Providence knows Buddy. This was the man who turned Providence into America's Renaissance City. He was also, probably, corrupt. Currently serving time in jail or, as he calls it, a really cheap spa, we can look back upon Buddy the man and Buddy the mayor. Stanton doesn't pull punches. He tells the story of Buddy's rise and fall objectively. This just makes the story of Buddy that much more entertaining. Who else would say "The toe you step on today may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow"? For more of Buddy, this book is definitive (well, until Buddy writes his own).